A lot of the city states are defined by great rivalries.

Currently, we have Noxus vs Demacia and Piltover vs Zaun.

I think Shadow Isles and Kumungu both have enough associated Champions and lore potential for them to be included as League City-states, like Freljord was. Best of all, they work as complete contrasts to each other. The Kumungu City-state could include sapient fauna and flora and the local tribespeople of Kumungu and the Plague jungles, as well as exceptionally brave colonists looking to rediscover the secrets left behind by the Rune Wars.

As for the Shadow Isles, this year's whole Harrowing event is based around developing them - and they certainly have enough Champions (Yorick, Elise, Evelynn, Mordekaiser, Hecarim, Karthus) to branch out into its own faction.

But without a direct opposite, the Shadow Isles seem weird.

Kumungu is, thematically, the perfect opposition to the Shadow Isles. The SI are about undeath and necromancy. Kumungu/Plague jungles are about life unfettered and enhanced by magic. Rammus, Zyra, Wukong, Nidalee, Rengar, and Maokai would all be the six main backers of a Kumungu faction. I think that as an avatar of a natural force, Janna would perhaps be interested in an alliance as well.

Any thoughts?

I fully support this. Its a great idea.

I think it would be humorous as well to see how the Institute would try to wiggle it's way out of giving the Shadow Isles City-State status. Something about the living population size being zero or something...

I don't support Kumungu or Shadow Isles becoming City-States, it would take away the mysteriousness from those areas, also in order to become a City-State it needs a form of government and a large enough population, as far as we know neither places have that.

Also not all City-States have to have an opposing side. Bandle City and Bilgewater have ties into other City-States but they have no direct feud with another one.

The Shadow Isles have a King in the new lore.
Kumungu not so much, but I doubt that would be a problem... Zaun/Piltover/Bandle City don't have a stable leader figure either yet they are city states.

The Kumungu jungle doesn't have a centralized government and as such won't be recognized as a city-state by the league -- both Ionia and Freljord had to scramble to set one up to avoid being terrorized by Noxus before they were considered city states and they both had already established infrastructure beforehand -- unlike the Kumungu. The 'gimmick' of the Kumungu Jungle region is that it is a wild and untamed new frontier on the continent, teeming with hostile and dangerous wildlife. It has no reason to be a new city-state.

That aside, not every city-state needs to be defined by conflict with another city-state. Look at Bandle City or Bilgewater. Even if the Kumungu Jungle had any good reason to be a city-state, which it really doesn't yet, I don't think the Kumungu Jungle would need to be defined by conflict with the Shadow Isles of all things. They're pretty far apart geographically, and the Kumungu Jungle culture would very likely be more defined by the extreme living conditions and survival-of-the-fittest lifestyle then defined by a celebration of life. In such a case the idealogical conflict just isn't there. Or at least, it's not there anymore then the conflict between the Shadow Isles vs.any other citystate (other then maybe Noxus).

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoBeNirvana But without a direct opposite, the Shadow Isles seem weird.

I would enjoy these two locations becoming more in depth and have a Demacia and Noxus rivalry. They're both very mysterious and both represent two different forces being life and death as well as not really having a uniform species or look for each being so that the Plague Jungles are home to all kinds of magical enhanced beasts while the Shadow Isles are haunted by undead of all kinds of variety.

The only problem I see is getting them into some kind of dispute aside from "Rawr we're dead we hate you" and "Vile undead we must protect nature" cliche. Maybe in the Plague Jungles there are ancient ruins that belonged to some splinter Shadow Isles faction that the Shadow Isles long thought destroyed and causes a fight for rights to the ruins. This conflict will both be very interesting for new lore and help both sides be seen in shades of gray instead of just good group and bad group.

Karthus is from the Marshes like Annie, not the Shadow Isles right?